Skirt.



H. N. FREEDMAN.

SKIRT.

APPLIOATIYON FILED un 2, 1910.

1,022,41 O. Patented Apr. 9, 1912.

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COLUMBIA PLANMRAPH co.. WASHINGNN. D. c.

HERMAN N. FREEDMAN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SKIRT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 2, 191.0.

Patented Apr. 9, 1912. Serial No. 558,956.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, HERMAN N. Firmin- MAN, a citizen of the United States, residing in the borough of the Bronx, city of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Skirts, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings, forming part thereof.

My invention relates to skirts and has for its object to provide an expansible skirt, the waist measure of which may be readily and easily adjusted without in any way affecting the symmetry or artistic finish of the skirt, and which will maintain its shape'in every particular, in any position in which it may be adjusted, without the use of any staying or stiffening devices. Skirts of this class are usually so designed that their expansion results in detracting from their symmetry, since the exposing of the material which is concealed when the skirt is contracted or taken up, results in increasing the width or size of certain portions of the skirt out of proportion to other corresponding portions of the skirt. This disproportionate increase usually occurs at each side of the placket where the letting out of material which was folded underneath results .in increasing the width of the gores on each side of the placket and making them thereby unsymmetrical with the other gores in the body of the skirt. Furthermore where the eXpansible material is folded back at the placket to form plaits, the edge of these plaits is not permanent but is changed with every adjustment of the skirt, and therefore in order to hold these plaits in shape some stiff'ening device is usually employed, since they cannot be pressed and creased to effect this purpose.

My invention eliminates the necessity of any such device, and makes possible the use of permanent plaits which are bodily movable to and from the placket to effect adjustment.

Other objects of my invention are facility of adjustment, simplicity of construction and neatness of appearance.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will appear from the following description.

I shall now describe my invention with reference to the accompanying drawings and shall thereafter tion in claim.

li`igure l is a perspective view of the top portion of a skirt embodying my invention, showing the skirt at its most contracted adjustment, and one of the plaits released. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the skirt at its maximum expansion. F ig. 3 is a sectional detail on enlarged scale of a portion of the waist band illustrating the means of securing the skirt in adjusted position.

In the illustrated embodiment of my invention an integral, continuous waistband l, is secured on the body portion 2, of the skirt which body portion is formed of a number of gores. as shown, and is integrally formed except that the back of the skirt is provided with the usual placket opening 3, hooks and eyes or other suitable means being provided for securing the placket closed. On each side of the placket opening 3 a permanent plait 4t is pressed, stitched, or otherwise formed in the body and waistband of the skirt, these plaits 4t being arranged to lic in close proximity to each other on 0pposite sides of the placket opening when the skirt is in its most contracted adjustment, thus effecting a neat double plaited back to the skirt. Underneath each plait 4; is an expansiblc portion formed by folding the material back underneath the plaits and consisting first of the overlying portion or section 5, and then the underlying part 6 folded back toward the placket and extending over to the placket opening. Thus only the outermost edges of the underlying portions G in immediate proximity to the placket opening' are exposed to view between the plaits Il, when the skirt is most contracted, as illustrated in Fig. l.

In order to increase the size of thc waist band of the skirt thc plaits are moved bodily backward away from the placket opening. This results in shortening the overlying part 5 of the adjustable portions and in correspondingly increasing the length of the waist-band l, and the exposed part of the underlying portion G from the placket to the plaits. It is apparent therefore that even when the skirt is most fully expanded those parts of thcrportions G which become visible never assume a width suflicient to be unsightly or disproportionate to the plaits and the remaining gores of the skirt, but at all times and in every position of adjustpoint out my invenment the skirt presents a symmetrical appearance.

The ends of the waist band 1 for a sufficient distance from the placket opening are provided with stud button-holes 7 and suitable studs or buttons 8 or otherl fastening devices are inserted through these button-holes to hold the plaits 4 in adjusted position. Two of these buttons 8 are provided for each plait and when it is desired to adjust the skirt these buttons are removed and the plaits moved back until the desired button-holes are brought in register and the buttons inserted. These studs or buttons may, as shown, consist of two detachable parts, one having a screw-threaded stein and t-he other a sleeve provided with internal screw threads into which the stem of the supplemental part is adapted to screw. The outer or visible end of these butt-ons may be any color corresponding to the color of the skirt and thus add to the neatness and finished appearance of the garment. 4.

Itis obvious that various modifications may be made in the construction shown and above particularly described within the principle and scope of my invention.

I claim:

An expansible skirt comprising an integral waist band7 a body portion provided with a placket opening, an underlying and an overlying plait on each side of the placket opening consisting of three folds and formed by folding the material back underneath itself and forward again to the placket; the edges of the overlying plaits being permanently formed in the material and the edges of the underlying plaits being shiftable; the permanent plaits being bodily adjustable toward and away from the placket to decrease and increase the size of the waist band7 respectively, the waist band being provided on each end with a series of holes extending to the placket opening and arranged so that those in the three folds will register in each adjusted position, and removable securing devices adapted to be insert-ed through the holes in the three folds and justed position.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HERMAN N. FREEDMAN.

litnesses IVM. ASHLEY KELLY, BERNARD CowEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Washington, D. C.

Commissioner of Patents,

hold the folds in ad- 

